During his last run for governor, McAuliffe, Bill and Hillary Clinton’s biggest campaign fundraiser and a former Democratic National Committee chairman, told a 2009 debate audience that he hires union workers even when he’s building businesses in non-union or “right-to-work” states.

“I paid a little bit extra out of my pocket because it was the right thing to do,” he said.

But when McAuliffe was ready to open a factory for his Virginia-based car company, he chose right-to-work Mississippi — and apparently hired non-union workers.

GreenTech Automotive, which employs fewer than 100 workers in its Horn Lake, Miss., plant, is not unionized, the United Auto Workers organizing department told Watchdog. In fact, union officials said they’d never heard of the company.

“It’s not a plant that I recognize,” said Kim, a 22-year veteran in the UAW’s organizing office who refused to give her last name.

While the UAW speaks only for itself, the National Labor Relations Board, the federal entity tasked with enforcing labor rules and overseeing union elections, confirms that neither the UAW nor any other labor organizations have attempted to unionize the Horn Lake plant.

“As far as I know, there’s no union,” said Dave Glissendorf, a compliance offer in the NLRB’s Memphis, Tenn., office, just minutes from the GreenTech facility. “I have no evidence there’s a union there.”

While GreenTech, which builds the two-seat MyCar, an electric vehicle with limited range, could voluntarily recognize a union without the NLRB’s involvement, Glissendorf believes that’s unlikely.

“I’ve only seen one in my 27 years,” he said. “I highly doubt that’s happened.”

Neither McAuliffe nor officials from GreenTech Automotive have responded to requests for comment. McAuliffe’s campaign team also did not respond to a request for comment.

News that GreenTech has so far stiffed organized labor might come as a surprise to unions pouring cash into his Virginia gubernatorial campaign. According to recent filings, organized labor, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the powerful Service Employees International Union, among others, has spent more than $560,000 trying to help McAuliffe into the governor’s office.

GreenTech announced Apr. 5 that McAuliffe had resigned Dec. 1 as company chairman. Skeptics noted that during that same four-month period McAuliffe continued to promote himself as the company’s chairman.

It’s been a rough few days for McAuliffe, who hopes to best Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the state’s attorney general, in the contest.

Dustin is a contributor to Watchdog.org and news director for IdahoReporter.com in Boise, Idaho. His work has been featured by Reason, Townhall.com, Fox News, the Washington Examiner, the Spokesman Review and Public Sector Inc., among others.
Steve Forbes also tweeted one of Dustin's stories one time.